Gravel-loading device



May 2.7, 1930. H', M MRTENSON ET AL y1,760,158

GRAVEL LOADING DEVICE Filed July 15. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l JN VENTBJ May 27, 1930. H. M. MARTENsoN Er AL GRAVEL LOADING DEVICE Filed July 16, 1.926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Z'JVVEJVTRE' 1 751A( mw Patented May 27, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE HARRY M. MARTENSON AND FRED W. PETERSON, OF VHITE ROCK, MINNESOTA GRAVEL-LGADING? DEVICE Application filed July 1G, i926. Serial No. 122,804.

Our invention relates to gravel loading devices and the object is to provide a small gravel handling vdevice which is portable and operable by one man, the construction of the device being such that the power plant used for hoisting and dumping gravel is remov able from the device and readily made available for towing the other parts of the device from one gravel pit to another.

Other objects will be further revealed in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of our device in operative position at the edge of a gravel pit.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view about as on line 2-2 in Fig. 1 showing a floor plan of the housing and including the cable hanw dling means and a tractor operatively connected with the latter.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the entire device, showing certain details more clearly and omitting a numberof minar details found in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged partly diagrammatic sectional view about as on line 4 4 in Fig. 2 showing mainly the method of placing a tractor in the position it occupies when used as the power plant of the device.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals 5 designates a gravel pit and 6 the ground level about the pit. 7 is the main frame or mechanism housing of our device mounted on front wheels 3 and rear wheels 9.

This housing unit is of triangular form, the

roof or top comprising a planked slope 7A extendingrfrom the top of the front wall downwardly to a point rearward of the rear wheels where it terminates at 7B approximately on a level with the iioor 1-0. The iioor may rest directly on the ground, as in Fig.V

3, by simply digging hollows as 6A (Fig. 1) for the wheels Sand 9 to be sunk into, the device then beingrigidly set so that the rear slope edge 7 B is at the edge of the gravel pit.

Adjoining the front wall of the housing unit we provide an auxiliary open frame consisting of an open inverted U-shape frame 11 normally in the plane of the slope 7A and 5 hinged to the upper extremity of the latter as at 11A said U-frame comprising two parallel members joined at their upper ends by a bolt 12 or the like'and from which is suspended a sheave block having two sheaves 13. 14 are legs supporting the upper portion of frame 11 and spaced some distance forward of housing 7. The lower parts of these legs, as 14A, may be hinged as at 14B and 15 are ,two hori- Zontal frame bars connected one each at 14B and also at 15B to the front part of housing 7. 16 is a pair of transverse, horizontally spaced bars iixed on bars 15 and adapted to support the lower part of a downwardly tapered gravel hopper 17 which is thus supported within' the auxiliary frame in elevated 65 position, the said hopper being also preferably detachably securable atl its upper part,

at 17A, to the uprights 14 and hingedly socurable to housing 7 as at 17B. 18 represents any suitable form of slide valve in the lower part of hopper 17 (see Fig. 1) said valve having an external stem 18A pivotally connected to a lever 19 fulcrumed at 2O to a fixed arm 21, the said lever 19 being accessible to the driver of any vehicle 22 driven under 75 the hopper to be loaded with gravel (sce Fig. 1).

With our main housing and auxiliary frame` set `for operation at the edge of a gravel pit y as above described and shown in Figs. 1 and 80' 3 we provide a so-called scraper type of bucket 23 which is open forwardly and downwardly and has a forwardly curved rear end (as 23A in Figs. 1 and 3). The forward end of the bucket is connected by a chain 24 to a cable A, passed upwardly over one sheave 13 thence downwardly and rearwardly within frame 11 into housing 7 and wound on a cable drum 26 rotatably mounted on a vdrum shaft or countershaft 27 mounted in bearings 28 fixed on floor 10 in the rear part of housing 7. This shaft 27 also carries another drum 29 on which is wound one end of a cable B extending from said drum 29 to the other sheave 13 thence extended over the roof or slope 7 A to a sheave 30 suitably iixed as at 30A to av post 31, or the like, fixed at the far side of the gravel pit and from thence the cable extends downwardly into the pit and is connected to,

chain 32 or like means on the rear cnc of the bucket 23 (see Figs. l and rlf'he power plant or" our gravel pit device comprises simply a tractor 33 which is backed into the open 'liront of housing 7 on floor l0.

are two transversely spaced blocks suitably secured on door l() eachhaving rearwardly and upwardly inclined tace 3dfx' (Fig. l) on which surfaces the traction (rear) wheels 33A ascend and then nieve rearwardly to the'ends'of the blocks (as 34A Fig. el) at the front edger of an opening 10C Vin floor 10. The said wheels 33A will of course drop into the openine 10C causingk the tractor arde housings 33H to simultaneously descend into notches ot two parallel and transversely spaced blocks lined at 36 to floor l0. The traction wheels '331k are then in suspension and readily removed to be replaced by chaindrivegears Z D are openingsin the side walls of housing 7 through which the tractor drive wheels mayberemoved. 38 is an arched Y clamping member, or yoke adapted to straddle the axle housing 33H and clamp it securely by means of bolts 39 to each block 35 (see The drive gears 37 each drive a chain Ll() extended rearwardly and engaging a chain-drive sprocket ll keyed on the countershaft 27. Between each said sprocket .lll and its adjacent cable drum we provide a ybrake drum 42, liked to the cable drinn, and engaged by a contractioiibrake band 43. VEach cable drum in adjacent ot the cable drunis are provided with clutch jaws del (see 2) either or' which may be engaged by a similarly jawed clutch member /lslidably keyed on shaft 27 and thus movable into engagement with either.

cable druinor intol neutral position (as `in Fig. 2) means of a clutch lever il? ulcruined on a pin Ll@ fixed near the clutch.y @ne end of lever i7 enga-ges a. central groove 5l in theclutch member and the other endis-pivotally secured atei/'A toa horizontal, transversely arranged rod 48 extending outside or the housing 7 vwhere it is connected vat 49to the lower end of a hand operated lever 50 :tulcruined in a bracket 51, said lever beingaccessible to an operator onV a seat 52. lined to the outer wall ot housing 7 near one of its rear wheels 9 (see Fig. 2).

isa suitable cani fixed to theV ends off the right hand brake band 48 and keyed on a'rockshaftt journaledin bearings 'andfentending through the side wall ,7 'the outer end of said shaft carrying a foot lever' acf-i cessible'to the operator. 57 is alikecani one yshaft 60 and engaging the ends'ot the left hand brake band 42, said shalt 60.]oiirnaled in a bearing S-aiid carrying. a toot lever 59 nternally ol walll. 61 is the clutch foot lever Vof the tractor. ln our device'iweluse an uprightreacli rod 62 the lower end of which is pivotally connected Y at 63 to said clutch lever and'jits upper end pivote-d at the tree 'end loose on' the countershaft Q7. Thel of a. lever 64 keyed on a horizontal shaft 65 suitably journaled transversely within the housing 7 and extending outwardly from the lett wall thereof, and on the latter end oi the shaft is secured a hand lever 66 with a hand hold 66A within reach or" the operator.

Above the hopper 17 we provide a horizontal grating 67 comprisingja` series-oi"- `.parallel bars the iront ends of which rest on a U- shaped hanger 68 fixed to bars ll and the rear ends oi said grate.bars-'preferably lined on a horizontal cross bar 69 fixed transversely in the lower part of traine 1l. It will be readily understood that when a scraper-bucket 23 full' of graveliis moved up the slope by cable A. the bucket is drawn betweenthe bars 1l, the cable A `is allowedrto become slackand the bucket drops onto the grate 67 y (as shown dotted in Fig. 3)its contents falling through the grate into the hopper 17. 70 is a series ot' parallel rods below grate 67 and arranged in forwardly and downwardly directed conin'ion plane, the forwardends ot said rods resting on the upper outer edgeof the hopper and the rear ends preferablyV ulcrumedon rod rFliese rods 7() thus form a practical screen through which the gravel readily .drops into the hopper but stones oftoo'large size will rollv down the inclined slope anddropv onto the ground as indicatedbyr arrow 71 in Fia 1- -l-n the use ot'our deviceitniay be assumed that-the device is set for operation as in Fig. l, at the edge of a gravel pit, also assunr ing that the tractor engine is ru'i'ining'-andv through its clutch running the rearl axle and the chain gea-rs 37,Y chains l0 and .tliefcountershalt sprockets ll and shaittQ?.y Cable/A is extended troni under the drum 26 and ycable B likewise from drum 2Q-(Fig. The gravel bucket 23' should'o'f course start its loading at the bottom ot'the pit and be pulled upwardly' alongv the natural slope of gravel, accumulatiin)a gravel within it as it aslce'mls.

This requires an upward pulloi cable n. bc- Y tween the bucket and the sheave 13', which is accomplished by the operator engaging the jaw clutch'l with druni, the clutchimmediately' causing said drum to rotate in a direction to wind cable A upon the drum by pulling downwardly and rearwardly on vthe lower bight of cable A. rlh'e bucket is thus drawn upwardly until it gets over. the upper grate G''when the clutch l'is released,` allow-- ing cable A to slackeirand the gravel is;v Tj.

seen that its upper or aerial bight is drawn forward and the rear, lower bight over the pit is drawn rearward thus pulling the bucket back into or over the pit as desired. The cable B may of course be taughtened more or less by causing resistance in cable A which is simultaneously being unvy'ound, said resistance being accomplished by the operator applying the brakes as required. Thus the bucket may be brought over the gravel pit in suspended position and permitted to drop to the bottom and thus get a better bite in the gravel bet'ore it is started on its upward course.

1We preferI to make the auxiliary 'trame or hopper frame in such a manner that its props 14A may be folded up under bars l5, or disconnected at 14B from legs lil. rlhe members l5 may be hinged at 15B allowing the parts 141A and 15 to be folded togetrer and allowed to hang from 15B. The hopper may also be disconnected at 17A and allowed to hang down in the front opening of the housing 7, after the tractor has been removed from within. rlhen the upper parts ot the auxiliary frame, including pa ts l1, 14, 67, 68 and 70 may be swung rearwardly as a unit on hinges 11A and laid on the slope 7A. Other collapsible features may be incorporated without departing trom the scopo and spirit of the invention. Then the tractor, which has its driving wheels restored, can be used to transport the entire device by attaching the tractor draw-bar (not shown) as with a draw-pin or other suitable means inserted in an aperture 75 in the front central part ot the floorlO of housing 7.

It is obvious that our device is operable by one man seated at 52 near the edge or' the gravel pit and has all its manipulating levers within the operators reach. rl`his one-man operation, the portable features ot our device and the double use of a tractor serving as a power plant and as a towing device can readily be seen to be highly important features from both an economical and practical point of view.

le claim:

In a portable gravel handling` device of the class described, a housing with an inclined top extending approximately to the ground level, a skeletoned extension trame normally in common plane with and 'from t-he top ot said sloping top and having adjustable supports and a hopper under the said extension trame, two cables, cable handling means mounted within said housing, a gravel bucket adapted to be drawn by one of said cables from a point rearward of said housing and up the sloping top thereof and onto said grate, the other cable connected to said bucket Y and adapted to draw it rearwardly from the v grate; a source of power within said housing including cable drums operatively connected with said cables, and power control means tures.

HARRY M. MARTENSON. FRED W. PETERSON. 

